Pages

Monday, August 22, 2011

Back to School Breakfasts: Gluten-Free Baked Buckwheat Pancakes

I haven't had a TV for the last year, and I can tell you one thing I definitely don't miss: Back to School commercials. As a kid, I cringed every time those awful JC Penney commercials came on. You know, the ones with happy kids dancing around in their cool new clothes. I didn't like shopping in the first place, and I certainly didn't want to shop for school clothes, or even worse, new notebooks! Today, I still feel a sinking in my gut whenever I hear that phrase.

Back to School. Shudder.

Back to school means summer is coming to a close - which doesn't seem fair to those of us in the Northwest who are only just now getting summer weather. On the other hand, it also means butternut squash will be back in season soon and apples will be ripe to make pies. It means I'll start craving warm breakfasts and hot soup for dinner. It means pancakes.

On a hot summer day, I want fresh fruit for breakfast. But when the weather starts to turn cool, pancakes beckon once again. However, when I'm getting ready for work (or when you're getting the kids ready for school), I don't want to stand at the skillet flipping pancakes. With a little preparation the night before, these pancakes can be put in the oven while you're busy with your morning routine. They're so simple, they barely need a recipe. And once you've got the basic ingredients down, you can play around with making your own variations. They're made from raw buckwheat groats that are soaked in water overnight. In the morning, you rinse them well, drain them, and can put the batter together in five minutes. They take 25 minutes to bake in the oven, which is the perfect amount of time to get dressed (or get your kids dressed) and be back at the table for a hot breakfast.

Baked Buckwheat Pancakes print-friendly optionThese dense, baked buckwheat pancakes have the hearty taste of traditional buckwheat pancakes, and are a perfect canvas for a number of toppings. With no added sugars in the recipe, you have a little wiggle room for combining it with something a bit sweet. Try melted butter and maple syrup, dip them in yogurt, or spread a layer of almond butter and honey on top.

Add all of the ingredients except the coconut oil to a food processor. Puree for 30 seconds, until a batter is formed.

Add coconut oil to two 9-inch round cake pans (1 tablespoon in each) and put in the oven until the oil is melted.

Take pans out of the oven and pour batter evenly into both pans.

Bake for 20 minutes.

Take out, turn over with a spatula (it might take a little finessing, but should come out pretty easily) and bake another 5-10 minutes. 10 minutes will make it a little crispy, but I prefer it that way.

Serve hot with suggested toppings.

Makes two 9-inch round pancakes.

Variations:
Try pureed pumpkin, pumpkin pie mix, or pureed sweet potato in place of the applesauce. If using unsweetened pumpkin, add in a little sweetener of your choice.
Add 10-20 drops of liquid stevia for a sweetened sugar-free version.
Add in cinnamon, raisins, and a sprinkling of sugar for "cinnamon raisin" pancakes

You could try subbing in pureed sweet potatoes or pumpkin. You could also try a lesser amount of a solid fat, or even just try leaving out the applesauce altogether and just adding in more liquid. I have a feeling all three would work fine.

Woo-wee!!!! I LOVE that this recipe is as WHOLE GRAIN as you can GET! Buckwheat flour is always a great go to flour for pancakes, but making them from the groats is extra awesome, and probably holds the flavor so much better. Can't wait to try!!!

I don't know what the conversion would be in terms of buckwheat flour. You might try my pancake and waffle recipe, using buckwheat flour. You could reduce the amound of starch or replace it completely with more buckwheat and just have a dense pancake. http://www.thedailydietribe.com/2011/11/how-to-make-gluten-free-vegan-pancakes.html